Page:Remarks on the Present System of Road Making (1823).djvu/216

 to procure from any particular part of the country, either by canal, or by river conveyance, better materials, so as to form perfect roads, without the necessity of paving them?—That those materials could be procured both by the canals; and by sea is evident; but I am satisfied that the most economical and preferable mode would be by means of paving.

Do you consider that it would be advisable to pave the whole of the roads, or that the paving of the centre or sides, as has been recommended by some witnesses, would be sufficient?—I apprehend that the paving a proper width in the centre would be quite sufficient, gravel might be proper enough for the sides, upon the same principle that we, in all new roads which are constructed, make use of metalling, or broken stones on the middle part of the road, for about from sixteen to eighteen or twenty feet in breadth, and leave the sides gravelled and kept dry; this, in general, forms a very perfect road.

Is there any principle which you would think proper to recommend in regard to the shape of the stones to be used in paving roads?—I am of opinion that the general shape of the stones at present used for paving, and the modes of distributing them are very imperfect, the lower part of the stones being of a triangular wedge-like shape, which, instead of enabling them to resist the weights which come upon them; easily penetrate into the substratum; the stones are also broken of an unequal size. The remedies for these defects are obvious, they should be as nearly as possible of a cubical form, its lower bed having an equal surface with its upper face; they should be selected as nearly as possible of an equal size, and they should never be of great length on the face.

In quarrying and preparing the stones would there be any